For the month of June, we continue focusing on the third Cognitive CoachingSM conversation: the Problem-Resolving map.

The pace template taught on Day 7 of Cognitive Coaching Seminars® is intended to be a mnemonic device to assist coaches in being resourceful under stressful conditions. When memorized, the template is easily accessible and allows us to paraphrase and stay in a mediator identity. To remind you of the words,

You’re (name emotion)

because (name content).

And what you want is (name a broad goal).

And you’re looking for a way to make that happen.

One of our colleagues, Loretta Norgon, assists participants in learning this template by having them practice it with nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters. For instance,

Pacing Little Red Riding Hood:

You’re confused

because your grandmother looks a lot different from yesterday.

And what you want is to be confident that everything is okay.

And you’re looking for a way to make that happen.

You can also enhance your skills by pacing famous people in the news as a way to get the process into automaticity. Have some fun this week by practicing the pace of a television character or someone in a novel you are reading.